Chhotu, a seven year old, Indian dog, who holds faithfulness and sincerity as first principles, has been marked for the gallows for his unwavering loyalty towards his owner Rajkumari Devi an ageing widow in her 70s.
Chhotu is the last and only line of defense standing between Rajkumari Devi and the villainous goons who eye her property, a strip of land less than a third of an acre holding an estimated worth of 9 lacs in the Tatma Toli neighborhood of Purnea district, Bihar
These miscreants have trespassed and broken into Rajkumari Devi’s house at the Bhatta Bazar area a number of times intending to burglar her property papers but on each occasion Chhotu has effectively foiled their attempts, and chased off the intruders with a bite to deter.
Rajkumari Devi is a widow and is subject to a range of fears, she leads a solitary life with no family of her own to watch over her, all she has got is Chhotu and he truly is this widow’s son and her survival song.
But all these miscreants who greed to seize her land have now deviously schemed to fail her hopes by fraudulently alleging Chhotu to be a “MAD DOG” and are hectically demanding death for him, the forethought behind this atrocious demand is to emotionally violate Rajkumari Devi and irrevocably cripple her morale since Chhotu hitherto had successfully restrained with a bark or a bite all intruding ruffians and threatened them to the point of retreat before they could pose any threat to Rajkumari Devi, without him she’ll be defenseless and susceptible to the deviltry of her tormentors. So hoping to reduce her to helplessness all these goons have teamed up and are vociferously baying for Chhotu’s blood.
Chhotu in the past has cheated death more than a few times, he has survived mob beatings and other attempts on his life including poisoning bids, fallacious FIRs and a “death sentence” but the gravity of the situation this time around Is more precarious than ever as the entire neighborhood is keenly contesting to encroach upon Rajkumari Devi’s land and are prompting the authorities to execute Chhotu.
Despite being poverty-stricken Rajkumari Devi has appointed Mr. Dilip Kumar Deepak, a local lawyer to plead Chhotu’s innocence in the court of law but regrettably he has been awarded the capital punishment again.
However a ray of hope surfaced last Thursday when Chhotu appeared before the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and was declared sound and stable after being observed for signs of aggressiveness and other behavioral aspects. As a matter of fact the juror was impressed to learn that every morning Chhotu leads the five goats of her mistress into the fields and then back safely herds them back home.
Chhotu has his final hearing scheduled on 5th August 2008 and if he fails to prove his innocence or falls short of getting his death sentence revoked then he will certainly be put down without any consideration, clearly the gallows are gaping for him and it wont come easy to establish his inoffensiveness when hordes of unscrupulous men in that courtroom will be making every bargain necessary to see him bite dust.
Even if the court annuls Chhotu’s death penalty, his sequence of grief won’t cease as the rival camp is all set to beseech the bench and demand his deportation to the pound if the verdict disfavors them. Once exiled to the pound Chhotu will surely succumb to his sorrow of separation or more tragically may fall victim to some kennel bound disease with sickness unto death, breathing his last in a squalid cage, densely colonized by ticks and coughing up his lungs. Coequally Rajkumari Devi would be mourning the loss of her child and be left vulnerable to the tyranny and intimidation of her vindictive neighborhood.
At this juncture prospects for Rajkumari Devi and Chhotu seem as dim as darkness but if you agree that Chhotu’s “Right to Life” shouldn’t be toppled by a bunch of goons then now is the chance to make your opinion count. All I ask of you is to pour out your thoughts on the following dignitaries and Head of Offices in Bihar, for they hold the key for averting this impending tragic
A call, an SMS or simply an e-mail from you to the concerned authorities can bring an unutterable respite to this ageing widow and her four-legged son.
Synchronously I’d also appeal to all who are considering writing or calling the following dignitaries, to be judicious and decorous with the authorities and only implore them for mediating, avoiding confrontation at all cost.
In addition making plentiful calls to the local media would persuade them to lengthily publish on this issue which can garner healthy sentiments in favor of Chhotu.
Remember Chhotu faces his “judgment day” on
5th August 2008 (coming Tuesday)
Facts based upon the article authored by Mr. Giridhar Jha (Senior Journalist) Patna, Bihar
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